The invention broadly relates to toys, and is more particularly concerned with fashion dolls of the type exemplified by the BARBIE.RTM. doll.
Such dolls are familiar to most children, particularly little girls, and have provided innumerable hours of joy with the child interacting with the doll. This interaction, in addition to the dressing of the doll in various outfits and the use of accessories therewith, has also, as an integral part of the play environment, involved a manual manipulation of the doll's limbs as a means for posing the doll, either alone or in conjunction with accessories.
While such play scenarios have been extremely successful over the years, the modern child, particularly with the advent of the computer age and everyday access to computers both in the home and in school, tends to look for a more active interrelationship with toys wherein the toy responds to external stimulation, as opposed to a more direct physical contact therewith. This is noted in various toys such as sound-activated toy vehicles, tape controlled talking dolls, and the like.
However, known forms of animation are not adaptable for use with the small 111/2 inch slimly structured fashion dolls both because of space limitations and the nature of the activation which would be required for lifelike movement or simulation.